Guangzhou Design Week Preview! As you read this I am navigating my way through an adventure of three cities in just six days half way around the world. I’m presenting the Top Western Design Trends to architects, developers, designers and homeowners in China. There is a new upper class that is looking beyond their borders for design inspiration and lifestyle. Opportunities abound!

Asian influence is everywhere! We all know the world is shrinking, borders are blurring, and we enjoy the privilege of global influence in all aspects of design. The biggest contributors to hot and now are China, Russia, India, Morocco and Africa. The Asian aesthetic in particular brings a timeless geometry to spaces bringing order to chaos and edgy to what otherwise might be dull. From Oscar De La Renta to Raymond Waites and Thomas O’Brian the effects of thousands of years of design history are front and center today.

Where do your influences come from? I have to say it was funny when the Chinese interviewed me for a feature in Modern Decoration Home. They had researched me well (I am an online presence!) And they questioned why I wore Chinese clothes (my jacket in many pictures has a Chinese collar), why my cats are named Yin and Yang, and why my interiors seemed to have a Chinese influence (this still confuses me as I don’t see it, but they did!) I’d have to say mine comes from a love of good tailoring (the jacket), a constant search for balance (the Yin and the Yang of life), and a delight in an interior that has geometry as a grounding force. Where do your influences come from? How can you share them for greater success?

Prospering by Design, YOURS!

MG

This is my favorite hotel ever visited–absolutely breathtaking! But with a somewhat irreverent sense of humor and being that we didn’t get in until after 10pm I have to confess that the motif had sexual potential. Take a look at the sideways flame that hung over the elevated lobby bar. Now tell me honestly if that doesn’t bear a striking resemblance to something else, very non-flamelike! Okay, okay, I know their intent was a flame as that is clearly what is on the wall over the front desk.

The room was beyond elegant with a Chinese screen above the bed, an alcove by the window with a chenille covered chaise, gossamer draperies, and the latest in electronics. The bath, though compact, had the best lighting of any so far, though that isn’t saying much. (That seems to be the only consistent downfall in the Chinese hotels, the vanity lighting.) The best was there was no automatic closer on the door so that getting in and out with luggage didn’t entail risking getting locked out or fighting the door with your luggage. We had to leave at 6am the following day so I did my own bellhopping. Otherwise I wasn’t permitted to carry a bag the entire trip. If this is celebrity living, I’m all over it!

We traveled to Shenzhen and The Shangri-la Hotel for our first day of presentations. The original attendance was at 180 but ballooned to over 250 before we got started. Ready had done an incredible job of marketing the event and me! Upon arrival, Ready handed me the current edition of the Chinese Modern Decoration Home where I was featured on over 10 pages with portfolio and a full interview. Wow! The Shangri-la Hotel was lovely, got some inadequate pics of the setting with stunning crystal chandeliers of leaves. Every hotel seemed finer than the last, each dripping in gold shimmer and crystal embellishments. The event went very well, though translation was a first and since it wasn’t simultaneous, but tandem, the program ran almost 3 hours. Following the event, I had back to back media interviews with Ready translating, quite an adventure!

We adjourned to dinner in the hotel, a lovely buffet with both Chinese and Western delicacies including a divine selection of desserts. From a mango whip to pistachio cake, chocolate raspberry decadence to gelato with a chocolate fountain, I was in heaven! So far I’d only experienced the Chinese desserts of sticky rice balls and I wasn’t a fan. The did include great lamp chops on the buffet as well. Being close to Australia, the Chinese include lamb on menus.

I was amazed at some of the sights we saw driving about, palm trees dressed in gold lame for decoration. We drove to an artist’s “village” a crowded maze of old and new buildings with a “gate” at the front that is home to many artists. It seemed somewhat deserted and we ambled around for at least an hour on stone streets. We came across a house crafted of oyster shells, and a performance pavilion with stunning gold and black “door ghosts.” We also saw a man hard at work mortaring brick and using an old fashioned bucket and pulley for bringing up the sand for his mortar.

Following our meanderings we headed off to visit the studio of Mr. Cuo, an acclaimed contemporary Chinese interior designer. We were greeted by his assistants and viewed all four floors. His work is reminiscent of Ron Arad, Michael Taylor, and Robert Kuo. It is bold in its shape, peaceful in its simplicity, and timeless by its largely organic nature. He had a stunning collection of fish, mostly carved wood, some ceramic that he had crafted. He shared that the fish is not present in the Chinese calendar of astrology, and he felt that it represented his uniqueness. He also had a collection of toilets, both working and decorative because he said (through the translator) that the invention of the toilet was so incredible and had been impacted by so many other countries that China needed to design a toilet also.

I was honored by his request to sign a book he owned on my great grandfather, Frank Lloyd Wright. And he presented me with a clipping in Chinese regarding Fallingwater that he had hung onto for many years. He also presented each of us with a tiny ceramic cup, hand crafted used to toast with Chinese liquor. It was truly a privilege visiting his studio and viewing his craftsmanship and imagination at work.

The Chinese are masters at landscape artistry and even the highways are lushly planted with tropical looking greenery in full flower. They had plumeria, Japanese maples, crepe myrtles, palm trees, fringe flower and too many more to name. They also embraced the art of topiaries and the Foo Dogs here, or lions as they called them, are particularly entertaining.

We visited the historical property The House of Chen. It was in typical Chinese style with polychromed sculpted scenes on the roof line, tiled roofs, stone courtyards, and much carved wood. Most of the carving seemed to be contemporary interpretations of historical representations. They also showcased modern day artists working in the class arts of ceramic sculpture, bone carving, ivory carving, wood carving and more. The doors had enormous colorful painted warrior type figures, one on each door, and are called “door ghosts”) as they are protectors of all who reside within.

Dinner was a group affair in a private room at a large round table with a lazy susan in the middle of the table and much served family style. I opted for rice as I couldn’t quite wrap my head around the selections live in the tanks we were shown. They had everything from live eel, to angry lobsters, slithering snakes, to slippery fish, snapping turtles to a baby crocodile (or was it a gator?)

The Chinese waste nothing in their meals and eat an enormous variety including internal organs, bone, and skin. For a palette that is accustomed to boneless, skinless and no organs, it was a bit of a challenge!

Staying at www.hoteldongfang.com. The room is lovely, compact, well designed, and with a soft elegance. Muted sage, basil, and rosemary green accents with contemporary textures. The entry (there is one!) boasts a roomy closet with heavy wood hangars and none of that nonsense with the head of the hangar so small you can’t steal it for home use. (No, I’m not lifting hangars, just appreciate the fact that they are real sized so easy to use.) They also have a nice little breakfast counter in limestone with an electric water pot for tea and coffee Another great idea!

There is a writing desk with leather inset and work lamp, and a console with storage for clothes and the TV is the old fashioned box style exposed. I’m surprised it isn’t a flat screen. A beautiful bench with a limestone top serves as a luggage rack, and it’s much easier than the usual cheap folding ones. The bath is all inclusive with a tub (though I need an extra foot or two to really stretch out) and a full shower. Not a lot of counter space but well placed shelves for all the vanity necessities. The lighting is the only element that really is ineffective as a woman who does put on a bit of a face.

Enjoyed lunch and lots of tea with Ready Zhang, the organizer of this venture, and his assistant. Many types of dumplings, my favorite were fried with shrimp inside. I effectively dodged the fried chicken paws (Ready’s English) and the pig’s hooves (looking like a black beet). I tried the steamed dough with sweet filling, kind of resembled a poached egg, it was ball shaped and white with filling the color of egg yolks. I also tasted the “porridge” which was a gruel like mix of rice and veggies, gray and runny. I’ll pass on it next time. I managed almost all with chop sticks but ran into trouble with some of the crispy fried items, just too slick and I had to revert to a fork.

Great flight, 747 with only 6 seats across in first class, it was veritably palatial! Service was impeccable and the food good, breakfast totally rocked! I had my choice of Chinese or Western, I played it safe with Western. The flight attendant asked me what “creamy scrambled eggs” were, tough to explain beating an egg when I don’t speak Mandarin and her English was limited. It was a bit of charades. I even got a good 6-8 hours of real sleep in, and caught up on the 20 or so trade and shelter publications I brought on board. Productive, well rested, auspicious start to the trip!

Landed and it took forever to taxi, wet and grey out.The airport was vast and very quiet, no typical US cacophony of cell phones going off upon landing. No customs to navigate either which surprised me must be on departure only. The driver met us and we were at the hotel by 7:45am Guangzhou time.

Spring is here! And it is that time of year to clear out the clutter that you’ve let build up over the winter months. Give yourself a week or a weekend to do nothing but get rid of things you don’t need. This means your desk and office, your junk drawer and kitchen, your closet and bedroom, your laundry and mudroom, and yes your vanity and bathroom. There are so many places we allow chaos to collect and now is a perfect time to clean out, refresh, renew, and recharge!

PowerPoint for prospecting! Having just completed a stunning (according to the meeting organizer) PowerPoint for my Trends presentation in China, I realized how great a tool it is for prospecting. Put selected images from your portfolio into a short PowerPoint (no more than 3-5 minutes) add some bells and whistles including sounds if you want to. Keep this readily available on your laptop for use at luncheons, networking meetings, and initial consultations. This is more interactive than the old fashioned zipper bag with still shots, and shows that you are up on technology. After all, a picture is worth a thousand words and you can speak volumes when you share your talent.

Off to the Orient! Well it’s finally here; I head off to Guangzhou, China this Sunday for a week of presenting western design trends to architects, developers, homeowners, designers, and top design students all in China. I’ve got a three city itinerary, a bit of a whirl wind tour. I’ll get to address the top design school and tour the top design firm, very exciting. David Bassett-Parkins, the founder of Avaliving.com, will be traveling with me to do his own presentation. Great opportunities will come from this global excursion.

Prospering by Design, YOURS!

MG

True confessions! I have been getting a ton done in the quiet of the mountains this last week. I’m enjoying it for one more week before venturing back to the big city. I truly appreciate the peace and relaxation here and the lack of interruptions. Getting to work in blue jeans, zebra scuffs, and a red fleece shirt over any t-shirt is a bonus. It’s all about Designing My Life!

Blog Changes! Right now, I’ve got three blogs, I know a bit much, but you know me, better too much, than not enough. You can check them out at www.todaybydesign.com, www.hollywoodbeginnings.com, and www.mylifeadventures.com. We are about to merge the last two and launch one with nothing but design and decorating tips and trends. You can use it as a template and inspiration to start your own! And I always have content that can be repurposed with credit.

International Adventure! My China adventure is just around the corner. I’ve crafted an image rich trend presentation and may even do a webinar on it once I return. Trends are great ways to involve your clients in new projects and improvements. Are you keeping up with design trends? Do you share them in your blogs, ezine, or on your website in articles? (Hmm, if not, get in touch, these are easy, cost effective, and proven ways to drive prospects and connect with clients.)

Prospering by Design, Are You?

MG